The more I get to know people here, the more I realize how alike all humans are the world over, despite exterior cultural appearances. This fact has continued to be over my many years of traveling all over the world. It is one of the strongest evidences of creation for me. The desires of hearts. You may make people operate according to a cultural norm, or force them into secrecy in regards to behavior that does not follow it, to make your culture seem more conservative or what have you, but you can not change the fact that each heart longs for/struggles with the same things...

India gives off this appearance of conservatism/purity. And while there are some that are conservative, my legs are the palest they have ever been in my life and my rear always covered because of "appropriate clothing", there is just as much drinking, sleeping around, racism,adultery, lying, intolerance, cheating, bribing, poor parenting, arrogance, elitism, lustfulness, greed, etc. in this country as any other...it is just hidden a little better by such things like forbidding for there to be ANY kissing aloud in a Hindi film, or excusing elitism because of a caste system, calling it national pride when hating Pakistan and it's people who not too long ago used to be of the same country.

I have also come to realize the depth at which honesty is what I value from people. I value straight up honesty in how people live life or struggle with it, because all of the hidden stuff just annoys me when I find out. I think that whether it be culture that demands secrecy, or the Church's lack of grace, that almost requires people to operate in shame because of weakness, that we need to do some overhauling that results in freedom. I do know it is a lot easier to stand on my soap box than actually step down off of it and walk. But the REAL conversations with people from the heart, no matter how smucky, happy, sad, humbling, harsh, etc. they may seem, are the conversations I walk away from feeling almost refreshed. I would take Simon over Paula any day.

Give me Howard Roark.